Tuning of properties of alkyl phenol formaldehyde resins in petroleum demulsifiers: 1. Emulsion stability test

This research studies the interactions between nonylphenol ethoxylates (10 and 20 moles of ethylene oxide) and two polymeric resins (ethoxylated alkyl phenol formaldehyde resins), and its dehydrating effect on the Furrial and Carabobo crude oils. The demulsification performance of these resins was studied according to the cyclohexane dilution method. Results show that resins can be modulated when mixed with other low molecular nonionic surfactants, fact that enhances their demulsifying performance. The results obtained in this study quantified the effect of polymer resins to counteract the effect of asphaltenes as stabilizers of emulsions of water in oil.